Poll Shows Americans Looking to Business for GHG Solution

March 19th, 2007

The Oscars may have raised the issue of global warming, but it was already on the minds of both Europeans and Americans. A Harris Interactive poll conducted before the ceremonies and published in the International Herald Tribune found that citizens of five European countries and the US favor taxing polluters in proportion to the pollution they produce.

The online poll surveyed 6,576 people in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States. Asked whether they supported the “polluter must pay” idea for industry, 92% said yes in France, Italy and Spain, 89% in Germany, 82% in the US and 81% in Britain. This is no surprise to us, because individuals have always been strongly supportive of environmental initiatives.

Fortunately, a growing number of businesses are taking action to address greenhouse gas emissions. One particularly encouraging development has been the formation of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, an organization featuring 10 prominent companies with combined market capitalization worth more than $750 billion, and four major environmental organizations that are calling on Congress to enact legislation to achieve significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. The group’s rationale is simple: Further delays to control greenhouse gas emissions increase the risk of unavoidable consequences that could necessitate even steeper reductions in the future. Waiting could seriously dampen future economic growth.

Entry Filed under: Greenhouse Gas Emissions